In my previous Blog post i was talking about business letters in China and how important it is to have knowledge about the cultural attitudes. In comparison, Business letters in Germany are written in a similar way like North American letters. They seem to be very informal. However, business contacts are more formal. They normally address each other with titles and last names even if they have known each other for a long amount of time. The letter introduction in a German business letter generally refers past events that have happened such as meetings or other subjects. Furthermore in french businesses it would be inappropriate to begin a letter with a request before giving an explanation of the problem or situation. French business letters include a very respectful closing such as " of my most respectful wishes".
Foreign business messages contain passive voice constructions and compliments towards the business or organization. The format in foreign letters might differ from North American messages. Usually letters from North America are typewritten and single spaced, while other countries may prefer handwritten letters. In addition to, the foreign addresses might be organized in a different way than North American addresses. The structure is different in comparison. Furthermore, dates and numbers also have a diverse structure and can be confusing for people. A German date would look like this: 5th of August 2014 or 5.8.2012 while the North American style would be August 5, 2014 or 8/5/2014.
Does anyone know any European languages other than English? And if so, what do you find the most difficult. For myself, i speak French, Spanish and German and i find that the differences are mostly in the grammar and formality. While English only has the word "you" referred to everyone including business contacts, in Germany for example, if you speak or write to people you work with or people you do not know that well, you use a more formal salutation. Same in Spanish and French.
References:
YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMH5wWYRdpI
Business Communication Text Book, International messages
In every country, there is a certain attitude to specific manners. Furthermore every country or continent has its own opinion about cultural attitudes. In order to meet these aspect, an organization that attempts to write a business letter to China for example needs to explore background information about the culture and manners. Chinese writers are very tentative. Chinese writers are more hesitant than those in North
America which means that Chinese letters are less direct. By saying that Chinese people are less direct means that they are avoiding pressure tactics to show respect and create more harmony. A typical closing in Chinese letters would be " wishing good health". It is very relevant for Chinese people to be friendly and respectful and that is why it is so important for other business professionals to know about the culture in order to write an appropriate letter that will satisfy the reader.
In addition to, i decided to post a video that explains about the challenges of the Chinese culture. I think it is a very helpful video to understand the culture and attitudes a little bit better and also that it is not always easy for other people to understand.
Have you ever had experiences with challenges of different cultures? Maybe while you have been to another country on vacation or other purposes you realized how different a country and its attitudes are compared to what you know from home.
References:
You Tube The Challenge of Chinese Culture http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUuFkFDiiLo
Business Communication Text Book, International messages
Writing business letters is a very important activity in organizations all over the world. However, business letters in North America or Germany differ from letters being prepared in China or Japan. Due to differences in the cultures, one country might see different tones or formats inappropriate while on the other site, another country perceives it as suitable. In order to achieve satisfactory from the receiver, a writer from any country in the world needs to understand the cultural attitudes from other countries and also an understanding how to integrate the specific writing styles and manners in a business letter. Although, business letters are seen differently in countries, a lot of organizations have international connections which means they have to be able to write applicable business letters, in order to show respect to the receiver. Every organizations needs to understand how important it is to send individualized letters to different countries and not to make the mistake in sending the exact same letters as they would do it within the country.
